Manchu-Han banquet is famous for its court banquet, but its origin has been shrouded in mystery for a long time and there are many rumors. In the domestic catering industry, some people call the Manchu-Han banquet a palace banquet in the Qing Dynasty. Some people even think that it is a "state banquet" hosted by the Qing emperor for China military attache. However, the opposite statement clearly points out that the Manchu-Han banquet is not a palace banquet, let alone an emperor's meal. The two statements are diametrically opposed, and why the Manchu-Chinese banquet was achieved is a mystery.

Before entering the customs, Manchu people lived in "Baishan Blackwater" in the northeast, and they didn't pay attention to fine cooking in their diet. When you have a party, you just cook large pieces of meat. Participants sat on the floor and took off their knives to eat. The staple food pays attention to rice noodles and snacks. As for the sacrificial ceremony, it is the whole pig, sheep, chicken and duck. This custom remained for some time after entering the customs.

In this regard, "Man Wen Lao Dang" contains: "When Baylor gave a banquet, there was no console table yet, and everyone sat on the floor." There is a more detailed description in "Da Qing Chao": "When there is a big sacrifice or celebration in your family in Manchuria, there must be a meat eating party. You can go regardless of flag, Chinese, knowledge or ignorance, and you should not send short messages. On that day, a reed mat shed higher than the house was built in the yard. Place seats on the ground, spread red carpets and countless mats. The host and guests are responsible for the clothes. When you arrive, kneel down and congratulate your host. That is, you sit cross-legged on the cushion and the host won't let you sit' or ten people around, or eight or nine people around'. Sitting down, the servant put it on a copper plate with a diameter of two feet and offered it to one side. A larger copper bowl filled with gravy. There is a big pot spoon in the bowl. There are eight or nine inch small copper plates in front of the guests, and unfermented sorghum wine is poured in a large porcelain bowl. The guests took turns drinking and holding them in the yard. Bring your own sauce, Korean paper, knife, etc. Cut your own food. The more food you eat, the happier your master will be. " This feast held by Manchu people to worship the gods is generous and unrestrained, retaining simple customs.

After the Qing court in the Qing Dynasty, among the six ministers, the minister of Guanglu Temple was set up to specialize in banquets and state ceremonies in ouchi. According to the Qing Hui Dian and the Rules of Guanglu Temple, after Kangxi, the full house hosted by Guanglu Temple was divided into six grades. Han banquets held in Guanglu Temple are divided into five categories: first, second, third, upper and middle seats. In other words, in the Kangxi period, the previous minimalist style has changed.

In the heyday of Qing Kang Gan, extravagance prevailed, and not only various court banquets continued, but also frequent banquets. According to legend, in the fifty-third year of Kangxi (17 14), Kangxi celebrated his 60th birthday, and the imperial court held a grand banquet for the first time. On March 25th and 27th, Kangxi hosted two banquets for the elderly, with more than 2,800 people over 65. Kangxi tasted the Manchu-Chinese banquet in the inner court of the palace for the first time, and wrote the word "Manchu-Chinese banquet" by himself, thus confirming the status of Manchu-Chinese banquet. Since then, the Manchu-Chinese banquet has become popular, and it has been continuously developed and improved. From 1757 to 1784, Qianlong made six southern tours, covering more than 2,900 kilometers and 30 palaces along the way. Wherever they went, local officials and tycoons spared no effort to hold a feast. The variety of Manchu-Han banquet is rich and colorful, and you can't finish one meal. You should eat it several times. Some are served all day, that is, lunch, evening and evening meals; Some eat for two days and two nights; And eat it three times a day.

Manchu-Han banquet is famous for its court banquet, but its origin has long been shrouded in mystery, and there are many rumors. In the domestic catering industry, according to the introduction of the old chef, the Manchu-Han banquet was a palace banquet in the Qing Dynasty. Some people even added a few words of Qing history to the memories of the old chefs. After some artistic processing of "memories" and historical materials, the Manchu-Han banquet was said to be a "state banquet" hosted by the Qing emperor. However, the opposite statement clearly points out that the Manchu-Han banquet is not a palace banquet, let alone an emperor's meal. The two statements are completely opposite, which makes people disagree.

Through the investigation of various monographs, the author thinks that the Manchu-Han banquet originated from the court theory: it was called "grand banquet" in the past, and it originated from court life terms, such as the emperor's wedding called "grand wedding" and the banquet accompaniment music called "single Da Le". Moreover, the popularity of Manchu-Han banquet in the imperial court also increased the credibility of Manchu-Han banquet from the imperial court. According to some experts' research, as early as when Kangxi went to Qufu to pay homage to Confucius, there was a full feast of Manchu and Han. At the Duke's Mansion, Kangxi was entertained by a Manchu-Han banquet (Confucian cuisine), and later this kind of banquet began to appear in the court. During the Qianlong period, the national strength was strong, and the Qing Dynasty reached the peak of development. In order to show the royal style, Qianlong deliberately pursued in diet, stressing etiquette and ostentation. As a result, the people began to follow the example of the Manchu-Han banquet in the imperial court and hold a grand banquet. The folk name of Manchu-Han banquet was first found in Li Dou's Painting a Boat in Yangzhou and Yuan Mei's Eating List with the Garden during the Qianlong period. Influenced by the pursuit of royal style and boasting of wealth, Manchu-Chinese banquets swept the country during the Qianlong period.

However, Wang Renxing's Random Talk on Ancient Diet in China denies this view. One of the reasons why he thought that the grand banquet came from the government was that it was clearly recorded in Yuan Mei's "Garden Menu", which first described this kind of banquet: "Today's official dishes ... are called Manchu-Chinese banquet". It is worth noting that Yuan Mei went on to say in the book that the Manchu-Chinese seats in the government are not only used for "new relatives coming to the door", but also for "superiors entering the customs". Then, the biggest "boss" in the whole world is the emperor. Of course, he should enjoy the biggest "big position" for his good luck. The emperor can stay in other places for a long time, so his "residence" is equivalent to the palace, and the official banquet is equivalent to the palace banquet.

There are many kinds of evidences to prove his point of view, but there are different opinions about where the government originated, which is still unclear. Those who hold the theory of "from the official office" generally believe that the "Manchu-Chinese banquet" comes from the official dishes in Jiangnan. According to Li Dou's "The Original Ship of Yangzhou", "Before and after going to Shangmai Street, there were big kitchens for six officials to eat: the first room, the first five bowls and ten pieces. The second one, 10 bowls, the second one has five baskets. Part three, ten thin white soup bowls. The fourth part, the twenty-hair blood disk. The fifth part, 20 foreign dishes, 20 hot dishes to persuade wine, 20 side dishes, dead fruit 10 table, fresh fruit 10 table. The so-called full house. " Li Dou also said in the book: This is the "big kitchen" in Yangzhou, specially designed for the "six officials" who come to Yangzhou as guests. Therefore, from the analysis of the existing written materials, most scholars believe that the Manchu-Chinese banquet should have originated in Yangzhou.

However, the theory of "from Yangzhou" has been challenged recently. The late famous writer Levin wrote a monograph on food culture, entitled "Ancient and Modern Diet". In the chapter "River Workers and Salt Merchants", a large number of historical materials explain the close relationship between the formation of Huaiyang cuisine and extravagant banquets. It is also mentioned in the book that the Governor's Office of the River, who lives in Huai 'an, spends 4.52 million yuan a year, only one-third at most, and the rest of the huge sum is "squandered". Only one official government makes public "public money consumption". A river worker's banquet took three days and three nights, and the diners "never finished eating". Therefore, Levin put forward a bold assumption: "I think the so-called' Manchu banquet' probably evolved from a banquet that took three days and three nights to complete on a river worker."

Some experts believe that the formation of "Man-Han Banquet" should precede the "All-sheep Banquet". There is a schematic diagram in Mr. Wu's new book "China Cuisine", which is devoted to the study of cooking culture in Qing Dynasty, in which "whole lamb dishes" and "Manchu-Han banquet" are juxtaposed. "Qing People's Banknotes" has long asserted that "Qingjiang (Huai 'an) people take good care of sheep" and "it is known as one hundred and eight products". Huai 'an unique 108 product "whole eel mat" is obviously derived from whole sheep mat. This is the evidence that "Man-Han Banquet" originated in Huai 'an. According to the newly published Huai 'an historic site, Qing Yan Park was named Banquet Garden in Qing Dynasty, which is enough to remind people that this garden is related to feasts.

In addition to Li Dou's "Yangzhou Boat Story", the earliest Manchu-Chinese banquet record was also written by Suzhou Lu Gu. Those who hold the "Huai 'an Theory" believe that this does not prove that the banquet originated in Yangzhou or Suzhou. Earlier records originated in these places, probably because the culture and commerce there greatly surpassed Huai 'an. From the perspective of "historical geography", the important position of Huai 'an City is indeed a long time ago.

It seems that whether the Manchu-Han banquet originated from the Qing palace, from the people, from Suzhou, from Yangzhou, from Huai 'an, or from the Confucian cuisine in Qufu, Shandong, is difficult to figure out at the moment.